Canada ended England’s 41-match unbeaten run on Thursday, beating the top-ranked Red Roses 24-21 in a WXV Global Series match at BMO Field in Toronto. Shoshanah Semanutafa scored the go-ahead try in the 77th minute, racing down the wing and diving over the line in front of a boisterous home crowd.
The Canadians had already ended a significant England streak once this month, and this time the result was even sweeter for the hosts.
A record crowd
The crowd of 18,621 spectators set a new stand-alone attendance record for a women’s rugby match in North America. The previous mark of 11,453 was set on 1 August 2025, when Canada beat the United States 42-10 in a World Cup warm-up match in Ottawa.
Canada’s other tries came from Savannah Bauder, Alysha Corrigan and Daleaka Menin, although the side missed two conversions. Maddie Feaunati, Zoe Harrison and Sarah Bern scored tries for England.
Grinding it out
“There were lots of ups and downs throughout that game and we really had to grind it out and find a way,” said Canadian captain Sophie de Goede. “That’s kind of the DNA of our team and our group.
“So I think, more than anything, I feel proud of the way that we found a way to win that game. It wasn’t easy.”
Canadian head coach Kevin Rouet said he had urged his players to build on the result. “I told them as soon as you do it once, you want to do it twice,” he said. “That’s something we have to focus on.”
England had not lost since dropping a 34-31 decision to New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final. Canada had beaten England 33-13 in the World Cup final last year, but that was England’s only defeat in that span. Canada had also drawn 26-26 with England in Exeter on 19 September, ending England’s 39-game winning streak at that point.
“Sometimes the flipped coin doesn’t go on the side you want it to go,” said England captain Meg Jones. “It’s just the nature of the beast, and we go again.”
Changes in the starting line-up
De Goede and Asia Hogan-Rochester, the 2025 World Rugby women’s player of the year, returned to the starting 15 after missing Canada’s 21-5 loss to France last month. Corrigan earned her first start since the World Cup, while Taylor Perry and vice-captain Alex Tessier swapped positions. Perry moved to inside centre, and Tessier played fly-half for the first time this year before leaving early through injury.
How the match unfolded
England’s Claudia Moloney-MacDonald thought she had scored in the sixth minute, but officials ruled it a knock-on. Canada then controlled play for 10 minutes without finding a way over the line. The hosts finally found space out wide, and Bauder touched down to make it 5-0. De Goede’s conversion attempt drifted wide.
England responded, but a series of turnovers deep in the Canadian zone denied them a score. The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute, when Canada’s Laetitia Royer was shown a yellow card. Feaunati picked up the ball beside the scrum and rumbled over for the try. Harrison extended England’s lead in the 37th minute.
After the interval, Corrigan produced a solo try that brought the crowd to its feet and pulled Canada within two points. England hit back on its next possession through Bern. Menin then powered over the line in the 63rd minute to give Canada the lead, and the hosts held on from there.
Looking ahead
Jones took a positive message from England’s defeat. “It’s how you respond now when you’ve had a loss,” she said. “I think that’s the biggest test of character.”
The teams meet again on 23 October in Ottawa, as part of what organisers are calling the Rugby Rematch Tour.
It had been a busy few days off the field for Canada. Rouet agreed a contract extension through 2030, and second-row forward Tyson Beukeboom announced her retirement. Beukeboom earned 84 caps over a 13-year international career and is the country’s most-capped rugby player across both the men’s and women’s games.
The match was also the first time Canada had played at BMO Field, the home of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. Both nations are now building towards the 2029 World Cup in Australia, and England and Canada have already qualified.